Heirborn Missions

Missions Team Description & Policy

By Brett Starr adapted from a document by Richard Brown Student Ministries Prof. @ Liberty
University

WHAT IS THE MISSIONS TEAM?

The Missions Team is a ministry team consisting of adults and
students who are an outgrowth of the student ministries of First
Federated Church. Our purpose will be to equip our youth for Kingdom
service (Ephesians 4:12) through emphasizing personal growth,
ministry training, teamwork, & then fulfilling our team's specific
mission. Our mission will change each year from place to place. Our
plan is to fulfill Jesus' command of Acts 1:8 by rotating each year
through a two year strategy combining a number of local mission
opportunities throughout each year (Jerusalem-same country and area;
same culture) with each year as follows: Year 1) a national trip
(Judea/Samaria-same country; different culture), and year 2) an
international trip (Outer Parts-different country; different
culture).

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BEING ON A MISSIONS TEAM?

How can I limit this to a simple list. Only the Lord God knows how
He can use this in the life of each team player. But here are some
that come to my mind:

· The spiritual disciplines learned through the weeks of team

training.
· The training skills learned for ministry.
· The opportunity to discover and use our God-given spiritual gifts
and talents.
· Learning how to be a team and work on a team in the midst of
stretching circumstances.
· The personal satisfaction that comes from an accomplished task.
· The exposure to Christian ministry. This includes ministry
experience as well as other Christian leaders. Although everyone
may not enter "full-time" vocational Christian ministry (i.e.
pastor/missionary), hopefully all will see the need and get a brief
taste of "full-time" Christian ministry.
· In keeping with the above, the growth and exposure of each team
player in developing God's view for the entire world.
· The blessings we will be to the lives we touch. The encouraging of
other believers and evangelizing of those who need Jesus Christ.
· Knowing that we are acting out Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Luke
24:46-49, John 20:21 and Acts 1:8

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE MISSIONS TEAM?

The missions team is for those who seriously want to minister Jesus
Christ to others, who are currently active in Heirborn Student
Ministries, who are currently between 9th - 12th grades, and who will
commit themselves to our teams requirements.
WHAT ARE THE TEAM REQUIREMENTS?
We have seven basic areas which will be necessary to being on the
team:

1.Attend All Training Sessions

It is here the team meets, trains, plans, and shares how their
assignments are doing. You may miss only one meeting
2. Work projects
We will be doing work projects on to help fund our trip.
3.Assigned reading
We will have assigned reading materials. Each year's team will
have a specific selection of books and/or literature to read and
then will turn in a one page report.
4.Scripture Memory
There will be assigned Scripture verses to be learned by each team
member.
5.Quiet Time Journal
To encourage the faithful growth in God's Word and intimacy with
Him, we will have each student commit to daily reading the Word,
prayer and maintaining a QT journal.
6.Faithful to attending Wednesday and Sunday Heirborn Student
Ministries events and activities
We want this team to rise and become the leaders of HSM. They need
to be active in the community life of our student ministry. Their
faithful attendance is needed.
7.Ministry Preparation
We also need to be preparing for our ministry roles which each
student will be involved in during the mission project. This may
mean learning a certain drama, preparing a costume, learning a
song, sharing a testimony etc. We will also require students to be
involved with the Childern’s Ministries Summer Sports Camp, from
June 19th to June 23rd.

This training is intended to be direct, disciplined, and in some

ways, difficult. We are finding out those who are serious about the
trip and those who are not. The student who completes this training
is showing our whole team:
· They are sincere in their motives for being on the team.
· They are serious about this team and its mission.
· They are saying to the team "you can count on me!"
· They are growing and developing into a closely knit unit.
· They are learning Christian disciplines which will benefit their
entire life!
· They are gaining ministry training right here before they get to
the mission site.

Do we expect the team to be perfect? Hardly. Are we committed to

excellence? Absolutely! We also will require signed parental
permission as well as filled out release and/or medical forms as
needed. We will also need to gather the needed paperwork and medical
attention.
2
ARE THERE ANY FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS?
"Basically, what's it gonna cost!?" Obviously each trip's cost will
depend on the trip itself (location, purpose, etc.). How the
missions project will pay for itself will be through:
• 20% aided by the Missions Dept. of FFC
· Personal funds
· Work projects and donations
· Support letters to families and friends (who are and are not a part
of First Federated Church)
I want this aspect of the team to be as low-key, tactful, Biblical,
and sensitive as possible.

CAN ANYONE BE DISMISSED FROM THE TEAM?

Hopefully this will not even have to arise, but yes. If we find a
student is not fulfilling his or her responsibilities in the training
and/or is not being a positive team player, the student will forfeit
his or her place on the team. During the training, the team will
arrive at developing its own "team covenant" (guidelines on team
inter-personal relationships) which each student will agree to
maintain. I have never had this problem, but we must be up front
with this.

WHAT IS THE STRUCTURE OF THE TEAM?

While the Pastor of Student Ministries will be seen as the overseer
of the team, there will be two specific leaders on the team: the
director (logistics), and the shepherd (spiritual growth). These two
leaders will be very responsible to the success of this team. The
team will be encouraged to direct their questions, concerns, ideas,
etc. to the appropriate responsible person.

WHY WOULD YOU TAKE A TEAM SO FAR AWAY WHEN THERE IS SO

MUCH TO DO HERE?
Good question! And it's inevitable someone will ask this question
each year a team prepare to leave. Allow me to offer some answers:
· As a youth ministry, we already are committed to reaching our
"Jerusalem" of greater Des Moines and are actively pursuing this.
· While we need to be active in reaching the Des Moines area, it also
is vital to stretch our students outside of their comfort zones and
put them in situations where they are not comfortable; thus, having
to rely on God's strength even more than usual.
· We also need to teach our youth that "God so loves the world" (John
3:16). This means all people groups, all nations, all cultures.
They need to experience first hand the needs and hurts of our
world.
· We want to develop world Christians. Although God has blessed
America, GOD is NOT American.
· Ask yourself, Was Jerusalem totally reached before the people left
to move into Samaria with the gospel? Was Antioch totally reached
before Paul & Barnabas left to take the good news into Asia Minor
and Europe?
3
"We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I
labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in
me." - The Apostle Paul (Colossians 1:28-29)